Around the World in 80 Days

The new version is far less about spectacle [than the 1956 film], though it is quite beautiful in the way it captures the physical world, from post-Commune Paris to the Yemeni desert to Raj-era India to, eventually, the U.S., where a meeting with the legendary lawman Bass Reeves (Gary Beadle) leads to a gun-slinging romp through Reconstruction Era America that borders on the preposterous but is highly exciting.

Around the World in 80 Days isn’t an earth-shattering Jules Verne adaptation, but it is a lovely one. Thanks mostly to the way it understands how to harness David Tennant’s magnificence on screen.

By journey's end – which is satisfying even if viewers believe they know what to expect – our affection for the trio has grown. It's no wonder that the studios have already wagered on a second round of more Verne-inspired adventures.

Tennant promised a “romp” from this updated version of Jules Verne’s novel, and it certainly is lively. This is big television in the vein of His Dark Materials. ... Clearly, there is great confidence in it. It is justified, largely.

This Around the World frolic might just be the ticket for those whose wanderlust was curtailed in recent years. Buckle up. [3 - 16 Jan 2022, p.9]